15 Most Powerful Weapons In Star Wars, Ranked From Strongest To Weakest

The Star Warsfranchise contains hundreds of various weapons. Include the Expanded Universe (Legends) with the New Cannon created by Disney, and there might be thousands of different styles of weapons spread across the galaxy.

Some weapons were created by large industrial companies, while others were handcrafted by individuals throughout time. It is also common for modifications to be made to weapons, whether by an individual or a group.

Because so many styles of weapons exist, we’ve pulled the best from a variety of categories within Star Wars Legends and Cannon. Some items listed are assigned to a specific individual, mostly because of the personal modifications they made towards their weapon of choice, while others are titled by name, including various users or crafts that housed these powerful weapons.

Categories from which the weapons were chosen from include hand-held guns, lightsabers, explosives, missiles, and superweapons.

From legendary bounty hunters to superweapons that could destroy an entire system, here’s our compilation of the 15 Most Powerful Weapons In Star Wars, Ranked.

15. Boba Fett’s EE-4 Carbine Rifle

Much like a sawed-off shotgun, the EE-3 and EE-4 carbine rifle was a shortened variant of the original blaster rifle. Preferred by bounty hunters through the EU and into Star Wars cannon, the carbine rifle was manufactured by BlasTech Industries.

The two most notable bounty hunters who used this unique weapon were Sugi (a female Zabrak bounty hunter) during the Clone Wars and Boba Fett during the Galactic Civil War.

An EE-3 carbine rifle was an optically fitted blaster rifle which produced a three-round burst fire specifically for long range shots. The only downfall to it was that it had a lower accuracy and stopping power when compared to larger rifles in its class.

Its successor, the EE-4, added a vertical handgrip over the shoulder stock while increasing the rate of fire. This helped with short range fire but weakened the long-range stats.

14. Ezra Bridger’s Lightsaber Pistol

Ezra Bridger’s lightsaber pistol from Star Wars Rebels is a one-of-a-kind weapon created to fit his personal style of fighting. What makes this weapon so powerful is that it was a lightsaber combined with a blaster.

For thousands of years, Jedi and Sith alike had snubbed their noses at blasters. However, Ezra, not an official Jedi, loved using either a lightsaber or a blaster for different scenarios.

His lightsaber pistol was built out of spare parts found around the Ghost and contained a blue Kyber crystal from the Jedi Temple on Lothal. It was made with a double bar design that had a single adjustable blade and a blaster pistol that could be set to stun when needed.

This unique weapon allowed Ezra to fly under the Empires radar for awhile since anyone with a lightsaber was targeted by the Inquisitors.

13. A Thermal Detonator

Classified as a Class-A weapon, the most standard model used was a N-20 Baradium-core thermal detonator. Fitting in the palm of one’s hand, the detonator could only be turned off by the user who activated it.

The thermal detonator usually came in the color of silver or brown, and would only go off once the owner detonated it. They were easy to carry and packed a huge punch for a variety of scenarios one might find themselves in. The chance of one going off prematurely was unlikely due to their highly resistant outer core.

Leia used a thermal detonator to bully Jabba the Hutt, while Cad Bane (the bounty hunter) was notorious for using them on assignments.

12. Ahsoka Tano’s Twin Blades

Undoubtedly one of the coolest female characters in the Star Wars franchise, Ahsoka built twin blade lightsabers after she left the Jedi Order. She intended to live like a normal person, but was eventually targeted by the Sixth Brother Inquisitor for performing random acts of kindness. After defeating him without a weapon of her own, she constructed the twin blades.

Each blade had a curved hilt, which she wielded in the unorthodox reverse-grip Shien style. One was a standard single blade while the other was a shoto-style lightsaber. The crystals came from the damaged Sixth Brother’s spinning lightsaber.

The crystals were originally synthetic red, which she purified with the force to turn them white. In doing so, her white blades became a symbol of her being neither Jedi nor Sith.

11. Chewbacca’s Bowcaster

Chewbacca’s bowcaster was a handcrafted weapon based on traditional bowcasters used generally by Wookiees, only because of the strength needed to fire it accurately. Chewie would modify his creation many times over as the years went by.

The bowcaster fired metal quarrels sheathed in plasma energy which would cause a small explosion upon impact, almost like a mini-grenade cannon. It had a Kshyyy-vine strap, along with various modern and traditional materials.

The power cells (E-11 power pack) used were the same used in Imperial blaster rifles, but modified to fire quarrels blaster bolts.

Range for Chewbacca’s bowcaster was around 30 meters. One of the unique aspects modified by Chewie himself was an automatic cocking device, allowing him to fire with ease and speed.

10. The PLX-1 And PLX-4 Portable Missile Launcher

Manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc, the PLX-1 was created at the beginning of the Clone War era. Produced by the tens of thousands, they were used as a powerful anti-vehicle or anti-emplacement weapon.

It was small enough to be carried by a single soldier, but also packed enough punch to destroy an Armored Assault Tank with one accurate hit.

The PLX-4 had a miniature mass-driver barrel, could fit seven individual missiles, and had a range of 40 kilometers. It was a later model which had computer-controlled missiles designed to mimic standard unguided missiles. They wouldn’t hone in on the target until a set time, often misleading an opponent into thinking they avoided it.

The PLX-4 could be shot from the shoulder or on tripods. It came with a detachable missile rack holding up to four rockets. The PLX-4 portable missile launcher became available after the Battle of Endor.

9. The Crossguard Lightsaber

From Star Wars Legends to Cannon, the crossguard lightsaber is more powerful than most realize. Prior to Kylo Ren’s model, the crossguard had been used by Jedi Master General Roblio Darté, Dazh Ranos, Nightsisters, and an unidentified Gran Jedi.

Over time, there have been several variations of the crossguard lightsaber. The forked style (used by Master Darté) had only two blades. Kylo’s vented crossguard lightsaber had three blades due to the energy given off by his cracked synthetic crystal (like those used in Starkiller Base). If not for the venting, the lightsaber would likely explode.

The last was a vented duelsaber which contained a total of four blades. One end looked like a standard vented crossguard while the other end had a single blade. While looking cool, the vented duelsaber was extremely hard to wield.

8. The Double-Bladed Lightsaber

Made famous by Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, the double-bladed lightsaber is considered one of the most powerful blades in existence (next to the crossguard).

Like any weapon though, how it performs also depends on who’s using it. The double-bladed version used by Exar Kun was extremely powerful and was returned to the Jedi council after his death to keep it out of the hands of others.

Savage Opress created a unique version that was a crossover between Darth Tyranus’s and Darth Maul’s. It also had a sound frequency that when ignited sounded like an animal’s growl while having extended blade lengths due to his height.

Darth Maul went a more traditional route, basing his off old Sith blueprints he found in Darth Sidious’ collection (likely based on Exar Kun’s). His was created from two identical single blades and contained four synthetic crystals.

7. Proton Torpedoes

Most notably known as the torpedo used by Luke Skywalker in his X-wing to destroy the first Death Star, proton torpedoes were widely used because of their explosive impact. Once hitting its target, this high-energy weapon would release clouds of high-velocity proton particles.

Proton Torpedoes were used by the Royal Naboo Security Forces during the Invasion of Naboo, which is what Anakin Skywalker fired while inside the Trade Federation command ship. TIE bombers were also known to have them.

Following the destruction of the second Death Star, a miniaturized version was created called MG7-A proton torpedoes. These were used by Poe Dameron to destroy the thermal oscillator on Starkiller base. The MG7-A proton torpedoes were manufactured by Krupx. Both types had upgraded versions featuring target locking variants.

6. The Ion Cannon

Ion cannons fired particles designed to interfere with the operation of electronics and computer systems. This often disabled anything from a small vehicle to a Star Destroyer. The heat produced from an ion cannon would cause joints to fuse together and could even disable a shield generator.

There were a variety of ion cannons produced such as the N-K7 (a planet-based cannon like the one used at Echo Base), starship mounted versions like the one on the Malevolence, and At-At versions like the AT-IC cannon.

Ion cannons did have weaknesses despite their versatility. They weren’t known for their accuracy (making long distant targets harder to hit) and crews on ships were often on standby to repair damage done by them. However, being able to disable a Star Cruiser with one shot for any amount of time was extremely beneficial.

5. The Diamond Boron Missile

Development of the diamond boron missile began during early parts of the Clone Wars, but wouldn’t reach its full potential until the height of the Galactic Civil War. What made this weapon so unique was that it was practically resistant to starfighter-scale laser weapons and could be fired from most standard concussion missile launchers.

The warheads were extremely powerful, able to destroy anything within fifty meters from its point of detonation. This meant several fighters could be eliminated by hitting only one if they were flying within close formation of each other.

The only downsize to this weapon was its price tag– each war-head cost around 20,000 credits to produce, which ultimately led to cheaper versions being made.

Various ships that housed these missiles included Imperial Broadside-class cruisers, Marauder-class corvettes, and the freighter Suprosa.

4. The Galaxy Gun

Built by the Galactic Empire in 10 ABY, the Galaxy Gun (Galaxy Weapon) was a superweapon capable of destroying cities or even an entire planet. This superior weapon was a 7,250-meter-long tube-shaped space station built above the planet Byss.

It could fire destructive projectiles equipped with particle disintegrator warheads. These warheads were also equipped with hyperdrive and sublight thrusters.

The hyperdrive allowed the projectile to travel through hyperspace with a speed equivalent to at least a Class .75 hyperdrive. Automated laser cannon turrets on the projectile would exchange laser fire with warships for defensive measures, while thick armor plating and powerful energy shields deflected the most advanced ion cannons and turbolasers on the market.

Once it reached its target, the missile would explode, causing an immense nuclear cloud reaction that would encircle a world’s surface within minutes.

3. Death Star Superlaser

Similar in destructive power to the Galaxy Gun, the superlaser attached to the Death Star was powered by eight large Kyber crystals. Laser beams generated from the Kyber crystals were focused and combined into a single blast, allowing for different power levels depending on how much damage one wanted to create.

On low power, the first superlaser could destroy roughly 1/8th of a planet’s surface. On full power it could eliminate an entire planet like it did when fired upon Alderaan.

The second Death Star superlaser contained improvements from the first. Now it could be used to target Capital ships with an accuracy that didn’t exist within the first model. The first version also had a recharge of almost 24 hours while the second could recharge in three minutes to five hours depending on the power used.

2. Sun Crusher

Only known in the Star Wars EU, the Sun Crusher was a weapon feared by all. Manufactured by the Imperial Department of Military Research, it too is considered a superweapon. Unlike the superlaser on either of the Death Star’s, the Sun Crusher could destroy an entire star system by causing its target star to turn into a supernova.

As Han Solo once said in the Star Wars legends books, “The only thing more dangerous than a Dark Jedi is a Dark Jedi behind the controls of a Sun Crusher.”

It was layered with a Quantum-crystalline armor, allowing it to deflect turbolaser shots. It could even withstand a glancing blow from the Death Star prototype superlaser.

The Sun Crusher contained 11 energy resonance torpedoes, which were activated when passed through the Sun Crusher’s resonance torpedo launcher. These torpedos were then fired at a system’s sun, traveling at near-lightspeed velocity.

1. Starkiller Base

The superweapon built into Starkiller Base was designed to consumed stars, creating a power source of built up energy. Once a star was depleted, it would pull from a new one until fully charged. The ice planet that Starkiller Base was built on had to become mobile, as it would soon deplete all stars in its area if it was stationary.

It ran on a dark energy called quintessence, which it would gather in stages, redirecting towards the planetary core. The thermal oscillator was used to manage all the stored energy until it was ready to fire.

Once fired, it could target multiple planets in a system. The beams also traveled at light speed with decent accuracy. It could also immediately recharge, as long as there were stars available.

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Can you think of any other powerful Star Wars weapons that we missed? Sound off in the comments!